Standard incandescent lighting remains the light of choice for most applications today and yet it is relatively inefficient and fails more often relative to other lighting options. Fluorescent bulbs have been around for decades. They have been the indoor lamp of choice in many applications such as office lighting because of their efficiency compared to incandescent lighting. However, fluorescent lighting also has its detractors. The rising cost of energy and the desire to reduce energy use to minimize our “carbon footprint” has caused a look for other types of lighting.
The light produced by a light emitting diode (LED) is emitted from a solid object, i.e., a block of semiconductor—rather than from a vacuum or gas tube, as is the case in traditional incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent lamps. Unlike traditional lighting, an LED creates visible light with reduced heat generation or parasitic energy dissipation. In addition, its solid-state nature (i.e., from a solid object and not a vacuum or gas tube) provides for greater resistance to shock, vibration, and wear, thereby increasing its lifespan significantly.
An LED is usually a small area source, often with extra optics added to the chip that shapes its radiation pattern. LED's are often used as small indicator lights on electronic devices and increasingly in higher power applications such as flashlights and area lighting. Indication refers to the use of a light source that is to be viewed directly as a self-luminous object, such as in signs, signals, indicator lights on electronic equipment and back lighting units. Illumination refers to the use of a light source to view other objects by the light reflected from those objects, such as the general lighting found in most rooms, or task lighting found on many desks.
Advantages of LEDs include high durability (e.g., no filament or tube to break), long life span (e.g., LEDs can last approximately 100,000 hours), low power consumption, flexible application (e.g., the small size of LEDs can lead to unique lighting devices) and low heat generation.
Thus, a need exists for an light fixture which is energy efficient, long lasting and which may be used in multiple applications.